DALLAS – While the Dallas Mavericks have some talented young guards in second-year veteran Dennis Smith Jr. and rookies Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, they certainly can use a trusted veteran guard like Devin Harris.
That’s why when the Mavs traded Harris to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 8, they were more than happy to see him return to Dallas and sign a contract as a free agent on Aug. 8.
“Devin’s been around a long time,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Monday’s practice session at the Lympo practice facilities. “He’s one of those ultimate team guys who loves to play, he loves to help his teammates.
“He’s very willing to push his teammates in practice to complete for minutes on the one hand, and encourage them and give them support if they’re playing well in games, on the other hand.”
Last year Harris averaged 8.5 points in 44 games while 18.3 minutes per contest for the Mavs. And in 27 games for the Nuggets last season he averaged 8.2 points in 19.7 minutes per outing.
The bonus for Harris was that the Nuggets were mired in a hotly-contested playoff race which came down to the wire. On the very last game of the season Denver and the Minnesota Timberwolves played each other in a nationally televised game on TNT because they were tied for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
The game was played in Minnesota, and the Timberwolves eventually prevailed, 112-106 in overtime, sending the Nuggets home with a 46-36 record.
“That’s why we play and that’s why we compete as hard as we do,” Harris said, referring to playing in a playoff-type atmosphere. “I know in this situation (with the Mavs) we haven’t had those types of atmospheres late in the season, but those are the games that are fun — when you lay everything on the line.
“It was just that last game coming down to overtime that we didn’t have enough, but that’s why we play. Those fun games with that kind of atmosphere, it’s all what the NBA is about.”
Harris, 35, is hoping the Mavs can return to the days when they advanced to the playoffs in 15 of 16 seasons from 2001-‘16. That’s one of the reasons he re-signed with the Mavs last month – to help bring that playoff fever back to Dallas.
“My time in Denver was great,” said Harris, who is playing with the Mavs for the third time. “To be in that kind of playoff atmosphere late in the season is what you want to play basketball for.
“But going into the summer I didn’t quite think (a return to the Mavs) would be a reality, but things worked out in my favor and here I am for turn number three. Like I said, I’m happy to be back.”
So too are the Mavs.
“He’s playing great, he’s feeling great so far,” Carlisle said. “His experience in multi-position abilities really helps us on both ends of the floor.
“And he and (guard J. J.) Barea really helps our young guards. They’re going to help Jalen Brunson and they’re going to help Dennis Smith continue with their development as mentors. You can’t put a price-tag on what that’s worth.”
Like everyone else who has spoken on the subject, Harris has nothing but rave reviews about Doncic, and is looking forward to seeing him enhance his game this season.
“Luka is a very smart player,” said Harris, who is entering his 15th season. “There’s still a little bit of things he has to work on translating from the Euro game to the NBA game.
“But he can play, he can pass, he can do a lot of things well. It’s just a matter of how quickly he’ll pick things up, and I’m confident he’ll do that in a blazing fashion.”
As far as the Mavs picking things up in a blazing fashion and qualifying for the playoffs for the first since since 2016, Harris remains optimistic.
“We’re definitely coming in with a different mindset,” Harris said. “Defense has been our focus in camp and I think guys are really buying into it and really understanding how to communicate with one another, where the help comes from.
“The drills we’ve got have been really intuitive, and we’re just really locked into it. And offensively guys are showcasing their talents and what they do best. I like the direction we’re going, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
That work has become a bit easier now that Devin Harris is back in a Mavs’ uniform.
NOTES: Coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t believe forward Dirk Nowitzki will have any problems adjusting to his new role of coming off the bench this season after being a starter for the overwhelmingly majority of his 20-year career. But first things first. Nowitzki has yet to go through any of the full-scale workouts during the first three days of training camp. Nowitzki underwent left ankle surgery on Apr. 5 and said the tendons in that ankle are a little sore right now. “Right now the challenge is getting through this physical situation with the rehab,” Carlisle said. “He really hasn’t done anything on the floor the first three days. Tomorrow is an off day, so we come back Wednesday and we’ll see where he is. But whenever he gets on the floor it’s going to be a gradual thing to begin with. It’s hard to say what a timetable is, but in terms of the adjustment to a bench role, once they talk about doing simulations with the exercise bike over on the side or something like that, we’ve got to get him out on the floor first.”. .There’s no question that the Mavs have a solid group of young players and a solid group of veteran players. The proverbial balancing act for coach Rick Carlisle is to try and find minutes for his young players, while also trying to find minutes for his older veterans – all while still trying to win games. “You’ve got to have a future as well as a present,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got some real strong hope for our future down the road with Dennis (Smith Jr.) and Luka (Doncic) and (Jalen) Brunson and (Dwight) Powell and (Maxi) Kleber and (Harrison) Barnes. But we’ve got great experience with Wes (Matthews), Dirk (Nowitzki) and DeAndre (Jordan). And then you can put Harrison in that category, too. He’s kind of on both sides of this. I love it. It’s an exciting group of guys. We’re fortunate. We’ve got an interesting balance of youth and experience, and we’ve got to take advantage of it.” Finding playing time for the players who deserve it could be a challenge. Or, will it? “In the NBA there’s 48 minutes, so there’s minutes for everybody,” guard J. J. Barea said. “You just got to make sure you’re ready whenever coach calls your name and go out there and do your job.”. .So what type of impact has center DeAndre Jordan had during the first three days of training camp? “He’s been great, competing-wise,” guard Devin Harris said. “I may or may not be the guy that talks a lot during practice, but he covers the basket really well. He does a great job communicating for that white team. I’d say the blue team hasn’t really done a great job offensively with him in there – with the things that he takes away. He does a great job of really containing the paint and understanding where the help comes from and really protecting our paint.”
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